Washington State's onion industry was started in Walla Walla County in the late 1800s by Italian settlers. Onion production in Washington is centered in the Columbia Basin region located in the southeast part of the state. The Columbia River Basin Irrigation Project has allowed for the steady expansion of the industry in the state since the early 1950s. Washington State ranks third in the United States for onion production.

Harold Keller was a resident of Snoqualmie Falls, Washington where for twenty-five years he served as the photographer for Weyerhaeuser and the director of the local YMCA and Community Hall. Keller also acted as the town's unofficial photographer, capturing more than 10,000 images of Snoqualmie Valley history before his death in 1969.